The Pokemon Franchise Turns 21 Today

Today, February 27, is Pokemon Day. The original games came out in Japan on February 27, 1996, meaning the franchise is now 21 years old. The Pokemon Company celebrated the franchise's 20th anniversary last year with a Super Bowl commercial and a hosted party with Drew Barrymore.

This year, fans can expect a number of events and goings-on as well to mark the latest anniversary of the celebrated and perpetually popular franchise.

One of the biggest events is happening in Pokemon Go. Now until March 6, a special version of Pikachu who is wearing a festive party hat (see above) will appear in the world.

"These special Pikachu will keep their party hats forever, but they can only be found during this limited-time celebration, so make sure to keep an eye out for them as you explore," developer Niantic said in a blog post.

Other Pokemon Day celebrations include the launch of a new Gallery Figures collection featuring toys for Eevee, Mew, Magikarp, and of course, Pikachu.

Additionally, Pokemon: The First Movie, Pokemon 4Ever, and Pokemon--Zoroark: Master of Illusions are available to watch as part of a marathon on Pokemon TV. You can stream the movies and shows at Pokemon.com or through the Pokmon TV mobile app.

What's more, a new "Pikachu Yellow Edition" New Nintendo 3DS XL is now available for $200, while GameStop is giving out Bottle Caps for Pokemon Sun and Pokemon Moon right now.

The Pokemon Trading Card Game Online and the Pokemon Shuffle app are celebrating as well, with new bonuses available now. Lastly, The Pokemon Company is holding an "all-day celebration" on Twitch today, featuring footage from Pokemon World Championships and more.

Read this blog post to learn more about how The Pokemon Company is celebrating Pokemon Day.

How are you celebrating? Let us know in the comments below!

This story has been updated.